ISSUE FOCUS 40 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2025 date (PSE) meat, which is characterized by very low WHC. Modern strains of broilers with highly developed breast muscles are more prone to producing PSE meat. PSE meat exhibits reduced WHC because the proteins responsible for binding intracellular water are closer to their isoelectric point, which limits their ability to retain water. As a result, more water is released, becoming visibly accumulated in the packaging during supermarket display. This visible drip loss often leads consumers to reject such products, thereby increasing retail-level food waste. The inclusion of olive bioactives in animal diets has shown promising results in reducing drip loss in breast meat with normal pH values (Figure 2). CONCLUSION The use of bioactive compounds derived from olive by-products, in addition to their properties in the live animal, may serve as a strategy to extend the shelf life of chicken meat by reducing water loss during retail display, without significantly altering meat color. This could help reduce food waste at retail level by improving consumer purchase decisions, thereby contributing positively to the overall sustainability of the meat production system. References can be reached here. 3,4 3,2 3 2,8 2,6 2,4 2,2 2 a b Control OE % Figure 2. Drip loss after 48 hours of display (OE: Olive bioactives). Different letters indicate statistically significant differences (p<0.05) Figure 1. Color development of the breast throughout display in film packaging (L*, lightness; a*: redness; b*: yellowness; OE: Olive bioactives) 56 54 52 50 48 46 day of displays 0 4 8 L* 2 1 0 -1 day of displays 0 4 8 a* 10 8 6 4 day of displays 0 4 8 b* About Dr. María del Mar Campo Holding a Degree in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD in Veterinary Science, Dr. María del Mar Campo has focused her research career on the effects that husbandry or technological factors along the production chain have on the quality of meat across different species. She is currently a Professor at the Animal Production and Food Science Department at the University of Zaragoza, Spain.
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